-  t 


Ifo  kj  ' 

OreJ' 

I  ' 

'X/O  4'^ 


U'bO*  1 

or  ^Jp 

nC> . 
Cof>^ 


/16X 


/ 


OREGON  AGRICULTURAL 


A  I’lant  that  IX)isoa«  Cattle. 


Cl  CUT  A 

(  C  tent  a  J'd^a  /rs  C,  rceti .  1 

By  U.  P.  HEDRICK. 


The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all  residents  of 

Oregon  who  request  them. 


A(iRreUL rrUAL  coLLiidi:  Pi<iXT:>  g  ori'ici'. 
G.  n.  KI'.ADV,  I’KIND'.K. 

1897. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS. 


/.  T.  APPE RSON,  President,  . Oregon  City, 

IV.  E.  VA  TES,  Secretary ,  Corvallis, 

J.  K.  WEATHERFORD,  Treasurer, . Albany. 

WM.  P.  LORD,  Governor,  . Salem. 

//.  R.  KINCAID,  Secretary  of  State . Saler 

G.  M.  IRWIN,  Supt.  Public  Instruction,  . Saley 

WM.  M.  HILLEARY,  Master  State  Grange,  . Turner 

T.  W.  DAVENPORT,  . Silvertor 

W.  P.  KE ADY,  . . . Portion 

WALLIS  NASH,  . Portion  . 

BENTON  KILL  IN,  . Portion 

/ON AS  M.  CHURCH,  . La  Grand- 

SAMUEL  HUGHES,  . Forest  Grove 


COIVlIVlITTEES. 


EXECUTIVE. 

SAMUEL  HUGHES,  Chairman,  IV.  E.  YATES,  Secretary .  J .  T.  A EPERSON , 

WILLIAM  M  HILLEARY,  BENTON  KILLIN. 

FINANCE. 

RENTON  KILLIN,  WM.  M.  HILLEARY,  J.  M.  CHURCH. 

AGRICULTURE  AND  CHEMISTRY. 

BENTON  KILLIn,  WILLIAM  M.  HILLEARY 

HORTICULTURE  AND  ENTOMOLOGY. 

'SAMUEL  HUGHES,  J.  K.  WEATHERFORD. 

MECHANICS  AND  HOUSEHOLD  ECONOMY. 

t.  K  WEATHERFORD.  SAMUEL  HUGHES,  WALLIS  NASH 

LITERARY  DEPARTMENT  AND  LIBRARY. 

WALLIS  NASH,  T.  W.  DAVENPORT 

ADVERTISING  AND  PRINTING. 

W.  P.  KLADY,  W.  E.  YATES. 

BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS. 

W.  E  YA  TES,  '  J.  M.  CHURCH. 

FARMERS’  INSTITUTES. 

L  K.  WEATHERFORD,  W.E.  YATES 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


THOMAS  M.  GATCH,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D . President  and  Director. 

//.  T,  FRENCH,  M.  S.,  . Agriculturist. 

G.  W.  SHAW,  Ph.  D.,  .  Chemist. 

U.  P.  HEDRICK,  M.  S.,  . Horticulturist  and  Botanist. 

A.  B.  CORDLEY,  B.  S.,  .  . Entomologist. 


W-  “  ■-' 

h,^  ■'■  ! 


(.•t''."ig^:’ '  .(iN*  ■  a'«4:“7i  di!;.  .•  ^ 

-  •^  'hm*  'i*  .Vi<iV{/v;. 


Kit  ^  ‘s^5/;  .  ^ 


1.*^ 


>  , 


.  f  *.  *.:l?r''i 

a.'  •*  . 


;.T^“ 


•V  '. 


-TV  i 

m.-' 


V-; ;•■/•,  y- 

^■V\  ■'  .  '  ^7;  ^ 

4  '  •  ^i'  •  •  •  /•• 

,  f  Ki  /•///*  /*• 


M 

'■*'  •.  -^ 


?:  t' 


VT  ?t 


.^'>  Rji.i  I  I  ^■Vt'9- 


•  ^ 

\ 


••  *  i,'"  -  'I  -  ■■ 

^•„  -  w-«>  .  ■  ■■ 

fciA  '-•■  V  •  ■  ;. 


,.A  >*  • 


t  ,*^. 


»'  ^• 


•  '  yfsft 

r  ''  > '.t  (  '■^'.’'nSijt  •■'*' 

j  .  ^ 


.  iw  r.'  ■  k.  iJS-M-  • 


V.*  ^ 


r^-'  ■  -‘j. 


'.a 


'V  .  ' 


''J'’ ,r 

•«  •-  y  T  ’ 

I 


'.AiT-  '  'iT  .^  -  -> 


4“  ' 'i.'  ' ''■  ■<  JI 


h'- 1  ■  ^ 


: .  -  .1/' 

Lft 

■ "  ■- ' 

•>-*.^=^r  .  -'®  M  ’■  .v^-:'., 

w. .  '  .ifc 

iA  ; 

'  .■  f"  ' 

.  \:’i‘  . 

■;  s.vir 

.\ 

■  ■^■''  <»  .  \->w 

j*  -  ,  *  ^  T^wTfl- 

i,y-^';  •- 


,< 


F#  '  • 


■"*^1  '  .'iP /K  '^' 


Sf-  '■  *' 

■*:  ^-yhAi 


f.v  I' 


■  ‘WTr;.,.  ,  ,  r, -  '!;  iv.  :f’--7i7:  .*' > ‘■ 

'■  ■■  ■  'ir^' 


'^-  ';*v 

5'*  eHE£li_.,--, 


'■*'.  vi  .  '  ■!■  v'.  •■'^  V®' 

Sifts-  mmo  - .  ' 'jri&  ■ ' -- vii’'''fijf<!if’%' Viyfer 

<  i  l^'L.  >i  ■  If  ,  ,,.,  . ''  .,  ,  : '  .v^  ^  >  ,'#' 


-  -'v 


,  7i]  '' 

n 


i<a 


■  Natural  History _ Survey  'ftf '  ’  |i 

gl^,-.K  Library 


I.  I.I^WIvS  AND  I'LOWlvRS  OF  CICUTA,  Cidita  vao\u(s  Greene, 


3 


[gir^ 


M.'A.l. 

A  PLANT  THAT  POISONS  CATTLE. 


Introduction. 


PLIANT  growing  in  the  low  pasture  lands  of  Oregon, 
poisons  cattle  in  the  late  winter  and  earl}^  spring. 
Last  spring  probably  not  less  than  one  hundred  cattle 
were  poisoned  in  those  parts  of  the  state  where  this 
plant  grows.  The  inquiries  as  to  what  this  plant  is,  has 
been  a  common  and  urgent  one  made  of  the  Station  men  at  the 
Oregon  Experiment  Station.  vSeveral  attempts  have  been  made  to 
answer  it.  Such  investigations  may  be  briefly  noted  as  follows: 

In  the  summer  of  1889,  Professor  P.  H.  Irish,  then  in  charge 
of  the  Department  of  Chemistry  of  this  Station,  fed  the  follow¬ 
ing  plants  to  stock:*  Common  Larkspur  {Delphiniwn  exalta- 
turn  Ait.),  Camass  {Camassia  esadeyita  Lindl.),  Sanicle  {Sanicula 
howellii  C.  &  R.),  degenerated  cultivated  Parsnip  (Pastmica  sa~ 
Hva,  L.)  and  Cow  Parsnip  {^Heracleiim  laiiatum  Michx.);  all  had 
been  reported  as  having  poisoned  cattle,  but  as  fed  b}^  Professor 
Irish  proved  harmless. 

In  the  spring  of  1896  a  farmer  in  Linn  county  sent  to  the 
Station  a  quantity  of  roots  of  Larkspur,  saying  that  he  felt  sure 
that  cattle  of  his  had  died  from  eating  them.  A  cow  at  the 
Station  was  made  to  eat  the  roots  sent  and  no  ill  effects  followed, 
again  proving  the  harmless  nature  of  the  roots  of  Larkspur. 

The  following  letter,  recieved  January  6,  1897,  from  Wald- 
port,  Lincoln  County,  Oregon,  is  published  as  being  typical  of 
letters  received  ever}^  spring,  and  as  indicating  the  time  that 
reports  of  cattle  poisoning  begin  to  come  in. 

“  I  send  by  to-day’s  mail  a  root  that  is  playing  havoc  among  the  cattle 
in  this  section  of  the  state.  A  number  of  cattle  have  died  in  this  vicinity 
from  eating  it,  several  having  died  on  my  ranch.  What  will  counteract  the 
poison  that  the  plant  contains  ? 

Yours  respectfully, 

W.  H,  Harrison. 

The  roots  proved  to  be  those  of  Cicuta  vagans  Greene, — a 


*Bul.  No.  3,  p.  25,  Ore  Expt.  Sta. 


t 

J)]ant  of  the  Parsnip  (Uinbelliferae)  family.  Fpon  request,  Mr. 
Harri.son  sent  a  quantity  of  the  roots  to  the  Station.  A  few  of 
the.se  were  fed  experimentally  to  two  cows,  and,  though  but  a 
.small  quantity  of  the  roots  was  taken  into  the  stomachs  of  the 
animals  in  both  ca.ses,  death  resulted  within  two  hours.  The 
behavior  of  these  animals  under  the  influence  of  the  poi.son  and 

the  remedies  tried,  will  be  described  in  another  part  of  the 
bulletin. 

Following'  the  ab  )ve  experiment,  .sev^eral  plants  l>elonging 
to  the  Parsnip  family,  closely  related  to  Cicuta,  and  generally 
found  growing  with  it,  and  often  .suspected  as  1)eing  poisonous, 
were  fed  and  proved  to  be  harmle.ss.  Thi.s,  and  a  more  thorough 
investigation  of  the  properties  of  Cicuta,  .seem  to  indicate,  con¬ 
clusively,  that  the  latter  is  the  plant  that  poi.sons  cattle. 

Before  attempting  a  further  di.scussion  of  the  plant  in  ques¬ 
tion,  it  may  lx?  .said  that  its  de.scription  for  popular  identification, 
i.s  attended  with  many  difficulties  ;  for  it  belongs  to  a  family, 
many  of  whose  members  are  .so  nearly  alike  in  appearance  and 
habits  that  a  skilled  botanist  can  identify  .some  .species  only  by 
minute  differences  in  plant  structure.  I  must,  therefore,  in  ni}’- 
de.scription,  enter  into  details  that  might  .seem  unnecessary  to 
one  not  appri.sed  of  the  difficulties  to  overcome.  But,  by  the  aid 
of  the  plate.s,  made  from  photographs,  and  the  de.scriptions  of 
plants  that  might  be  mistaken  for  Cicuta,  the  av’erage  reader 
should  have  but  little  difficult}’  in  identifying  the  plant  in  queston. 

Name. 

The  name,  Cicuta  vaga}is  Greene,  was  given  by  Profes.sor 
Ivlwin  L.  (Treene,  now  of  the  Catholic  University,  Washington, 
1).  C.,  in  1889.^'  Prevdously,  it  had  been  con.sidered  as  identical 
with  Cicuta  maciilata  Linn,  the  Ivistern  species  of  this  genus. 
In  all  text-books,  applicable  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  plant  i.s  yet 
called  C.  laacafata,  but  botanists  have  ado])ted  the  name  given 
by  (ireene. 

In  the  matter  of  common  names  there  is  much  confusion 
regarding  thi.s,  as  of  many  plants  in  the  Parsnip  family.  The 
Cicutas  are  known  in  the  various  localities  in  which  they  are 
found  by  a  number  of  common  names.  (Lay,  our  best  author¬ 
ity,  alone,  gives  five  po])ular  names  to  the  common  Cicuta.  as 

-Pittoiiia,  Vol  II,  Tart  7.  Dec.  1SS9. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/plantthatpoisons46hedr 


lU’I.HSOR  ROOT-STALKS  Ol-  CICTTA.  Cicuta  va<rans  (LtHiie. 


5 


follows  :  Water  Hemlock,  Musquash  Root,  Spotted  Cow  bane, 
Heaver  Poison  and  Muskrat  \Wed.  Other  botanists  add  to  these, 
Wild  Parsnip,  Water  Parsnip,  Cow  bane,  and  vSnake  Root.  All 
these  show  how  inaccurate  and  unsatisfactory  are  common  names. 
If  any  one  of  these  popular  names  is  to  be  used.  Water  Hemlock 
is  most  applicable,  but  there  caiuiot  be  any  reasonable  objection 
to  calling  the  plant  Cicuta,  a  name,  about  which,  there  could  be 
no  confusion. 

Description. 

The  Cicuta  found  in  Oregon,  is  a  tall,  smooth,  coarse  grow¬ 
ing  plant  ;  its  stems  are  round  and  hollow,  branch  from  the  base, 
may  be  e*'ect  or  reclining  in  growth,  and  reach  a  height  of  from 
3  to  6  feet  ;  the  stems  spring  from  a  bulb-like,  perennial  root 
and  after  flowering  in  mid-summer  .soon  die  down  ;  the  leaves 
are  from  2  to  3  feet  long,  smooth  and  glaucous,  sometimes  with 
a  purplish  cast,  two  or  three  times  divided  (bi  or  tri-pinnate); 
the  leaflets  are  borne  on  the  upper  third  of  the  leaf,  there  being, 
generally  from  4  to  6  pairs,  the}'  are  oblong  and  lance-shaped, 
about  2  inches  in  length,  ^  of  an  inch  wide,  coarsely  toothed, 
sometimes  unequally  divided  or  lobed,  and  with  .small  veins  run¬ 
ning  from  the  midrib  to  the  notches  in  the  edge  of  the  leaflet. 
A  part  of  an  old  and  of  a  young  leaf  are  .shown  in  Plate  I. 

The  plant  blooms  in  midsummer  and  bears  an  umbel  or  um¬ 
brella  shaped  cluster  of  .small,  white  flowers  at  the  end  of  a  long 
stalk  or  peduncle  (Plate  I);  from  the  blossoms,  broadly  ovate, 
kidney-shaped,  ribbed  fruits  about  ^  of  an  inch  long  are  formed; 
these,  when  cut  cro.sswi.se,  show  minute  tubes  containing  an 
aromatic  oil  much  like  that  in  the  .seeds  of  the  common  Parsnip  ; 
the  seeds  in  these  fruits  are  small,  nearly  cylindrical  in  shape, 
and  have  a  slightly  hollowed  face. 

In  studying  the  plant  it  will  be  found  that  the  root  bulb  is 
the  most  disthictive  part  aiid  will  aid  most  m  ide7itificatio7i .  Special 
attention  is  called  to  Plate  II  in  which  the  bulbs  are  well  illus¬ 
trated.  A  comparison  of  this  plate  with  the  other  plates  shows 
very  strikingly  the  difference  between  the  underground  parts  of 
plants  of  the  Parsnip  family,  and  makes  obvious  the  great  value 
of  the  roots  as  a  means  of  identifying  Cicuta.  Taking  the 
bulbous  roots  alone,  as  a  means  of  identification,  one  could 
hardly  make  a  mistake  in  naming  Cicuta.  The  subterranean 


part  of  Ciciita,  properfy  speaf:ing,  fsa  cfose  jointecf,  t'lfiderg'fOtfijfd! 
stem.  It  is  bulb  like  in  appearance,  2  to  4  inches  long  and  i  to  2: 
inches  thick.  In  color  the  exterior  is  a  dark  purplish  green,,  the 
interior  a  yellowish  white,-  the  flesh  firm  and  bearing  an  abun¬ 
dance  of  reddish,  arbnmtic  oil — the  odor  of  Parsnip' being,  most 
decided  ;  the  root  bulb  is  only  partly  underground  and  emits- 
long  fibrous  roots  from  beneath.  The  poisonous  property  of  the 
plant,  cicutoxine,.  is  fotind  in  the  oil  of  the  bulb 

Habits, 

Tire  flo\yering  and  fruiting  part  of  Cicnta  is  sustained  b>^ 
food  stored  awa)’  during  one  or  more  years  of  immature  exist-' 
ence.  The  reservoir  for  this  supply  isthebu-ll>like  underground 
stem.  A.fter  flowering,-  plant  and  root  die,  but  while  the  flower 
is  developing,  the  crown  of  the  root,  or  underground  stem,-  sends 
out  one  or  nK)re  large  buds,  which,  before  the  flowering  stalk  is- 
dead,  have  formed  roots  of  their  own  and  are  ready  to  produce 
a  new  plant.  These  buds  sometimes  require  one,  and  sometimes 
two  seasons  for  full  growth.  From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that 
fhe  life  limit  of  the  species  is  intermediate  between  that  of  a 
biennial  and  a  perennial. 

In  growth,  as  tire  plant  reaches  maturity,  it  becomes  stout 
and  scraggly,  very  often  covering  an  area  of  five  or  six  feet. 
Before  reaching  the  fruiting  season,  the  underground  stem  and 
roots  become  exhausted  and  begin  to  decay,  the  plant  at  this 
time  being  sustained  and  supported  by  tough,  fibrous  roots 
springing  from  a  point  where  the  leaves  break  from  the  under¬ 
ground  stem.  These  roots  are  called  acce.ssory  roots.  At  this 
period  the  young  offsets  are  being  formed. 

Distribution, 

« 

Cictita  fs  found,-  in  Oregon,  in  marshy  or  wet  places  both 
on  the  seashore  and  in  the  mountains.  It  is  of  most  frequent 
occufrence  along  the  banks  of  coast  rivers  and  inlets,  but  is 
reported  as  being  quite  common  about  the  lakes  of  Southern  and 
South-P)astern  Oregon.  It  is  so  plentiful  throughout  all  of 
Western  Oregon,  that  it  is  dangerous  to  cattle,  during  the  springy 
in  uncultivated,  marshy,  pasture  land.  Cicuta  is  also  found  in 
abundance  in  Northern  California,  in  Washington,  and  in  British 
Columbia. 

Other  semi-acjuatic  plants  of  the  Parsnip  family,  are  often 


foimci  'grownr^  w'ltli  Oie  Clcu'ta,  wlncli  lo  the  difficulty  of 

recognizing  it  and  givCvS  the  others,  most  of  which  are  harmless, 
a  bad  reputation.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  ru'  ■other  plant  in  this 
family  need  lx;  feared  in  OregK^m  pastures  at  tlie  ti-nie  whe-n 
Cicnta  is  dangerous,  vi^..  from  January  to  May, 

Damage  Done  by  Gicuta. 

It  is  hard  to  estimate  the  number  of  cattle  killed  yearly  in 
Oregon  by  eating  Cicnta.  One  hundred  would  be  a  low  estimate 
in  judgment.  Animals  eat  the  underground  p>ortioii  of 
Cicnta  in  getting  the  tops  which  form  about  the  first  green 
herbage  in  early  spring ;  as  they  browse  the  foliage.,  the 
roots,  being  only  partly  subterranean,  and  growing  in  a  soft 
soil,  are  pulled  up  and  eaten.  A  piece  the  size  of  a  walnut,  it 
was  found  b^’^  experiment,  is  sufficient  to  kill  a  cow.  It  is  probable 
that  the  poisonous  constituent  is  found  only  in  the  underground 
stem  and  the  roots. 

While  the  victims  of  the  plant  are  chiefiy  cattle,  yet  they  are 
not  exclusively  so.  The  poi.soiious  parts  are  often  mistaken  for 
Parsnips,  Artichokes  and  Horse-radish,  and  thus  human  victims 
are  not  infrequent.  A  number  of  cases  of  poisoning  from  Cicnta 
are  annually  reported  in  the  United  vStates.  A  writer  in  a  local 
paper  a  few  months  ago,  reported  the  case  of  two  cattlemen  in 
Southern  Oregon,  who,  after  eating  “Wild  Parsnip,"  presumably 
Cicnta,  died  in  a  few  hours,  Falk  reports,  that  in  Europe, 
in  thirt\'-one  cases  of  poisoning  from  Cicnta,  45  per  cent  died. 

Symptoms  of  Poisoning,  and  Remedies. 

Soon  after  receiving  a  quantity  of  the  Cicnta  bulbs  from 

Mr.  Harrison  of  Waldport,  as  before  mentioned,  it  was  decided 

to  try  their  effects  upon  a  cow,  in  order  that  a  more  direct 

knowledge  of  the  action  of  the  poison  might  be  obtained.  The 

following  is  the  de.scription  of  the  behavior  of  two  animals  to 

which  was  fed  the  Cicnta, — the  notes  having  been  taken  by 

Professor  H.  T.  French,  the  Station  Agriculturist, 

« 

“  A  bulb  was  cut  into  small  pieces,  mixed  with  a  carrot  cut 
up  in  the  same  way,  and  fed  to  a  two-year  old  grade  heifer.  The 
material  was  fed  at  8  o’clock,  a.  ni.,  and  at  9:30  the  animal  was 
dead.  The  poison  performed  its  work  so  quickly,  that  we  were 
unable  to  be  present  at  the  moment  death  occurred.  The  animal 


s 


evidentl}'  died  iii  a  spasm,  froth  and  foam  having  escaped  from 
its  mouth  in  considerable  quantities. 

“On  post-mortem  examination,  ])ieces  of  the  root  were  found 
in  the  rumen,  and  in  the  reticulum  or  second  stomach.  None 
was  found  be3a)nd  the  .second  stomach.  It  was  somewhat  sur¬ 
prising  to  find  not  more  than  two  drams  of  the  root  in  the  stom¬ 
ach.  A  very  small  |X)rlion  might  have  pas.sed  beyond  recogni- 

s 

tion  b}’  mastication,  but  a  careful  examination  was  made  resulting 
iti  the  finding  of  the  above  amount.  From  the  amount  left  in 
the  feed-box  it  was  evident  that  only  a  very  small  portion  had 
been  eaten, 

“  The  lungs  were  highly  congested,  otherwise  there  were  no 
abnormal  conditions  noticed  in  the  abdominal  or  thoracic  cavities, 

“  The  following  day  another  animal  was  fed  the  poisonous 
roots  in  order  that  an  attempt  might  be  made  to  counteract  the 
effect  of  the  poison  with  an  antidote. 

“A  calf  one  year  old  was  .selected  for  the  experiment.  The 
temperature  of  the  animal  was  taken  in  the  evening  and  morn¬ 
ing  preceding  the  experiment.  The  normal  was  found  to  be 
[02^/2  degrees. 

“Two  bulbs  the  size  of  an  egg  were  cut  and  mixed  with  car¬ 
rots,  and  a  little  grain  sprinkled  over  the  roots.  The  material 
was  eaten  under  protest  in  order  to  get  the  grain  and  carrots. 

“The  roots  were  fed  at  9:15,  a.  m.;  at  9:40  the  temperature 
was  103,  and  the  mu.scles  about  the  nose  began  to  twitch.  At 
ro  o’clock  the  temperature  had  ri.sen  to  103)4,  and  the  animal 
was  a  little  unea.sy.  At  10:25  the  temperature  was  104,  and 
there  was  a  trembling  about  the  flanks.  The  eyes  watered 
very  freely  ;  at  10:35  animal  was  somewhat  excited,  and  the 
temperature  was  io4)4-  At  this  time  urination  began  and  con¬ 
tinued  very  freely  until  death  ensued.  At  10:45  animal  fell 
over  on  its  .side  in  a  spasm.  The  eyes  were  drawn  and  the 
muscles  were  rigid  and  contracted  violently.  The  animal  fell 
backward  rather  than  sideways,  and  when  })art  way  down  rolled 
on  its  side. 

“As  soon  as  possible  it  was  given  an  ounce  of  spirits  of 
turpentine  in  a  quart  of  milk,  and  immediately  the  calf  re¬ 
covered  its  feet  and  began  to  walk  about,  though  with  difficulty  ; 
its  limbs  were  stiff  and  it  walked  with  a  straddling  gait.  At 


Oi'inxudic  saruu'iilosa  Null. 


9 


iO'.55  "tire  leinperaUirtf  stood  at  and  |)erspirati(/n  was 

Itiowing  very  freely.  The  respirations  were  hurried  l)eing 
about  double  the  usual  number  per  minute  ;  soon  there  were 
indications  of  severe  spasms.  The  dose  of  turpentine  and  milk 
was  repeated  and  the  animal  stood  up  till  11:30.  when  it  went 
down  as  before.  A  full  dose  of  tincture  of  aconite  with  a  quart 
of  milk  was  given,  but  no  results  were  noticed  ;  immediately 
after  a  hypodermic  injection  of  nitro-glycerin  was  made,  but 
with  no  results.  The  spasms  were  almost  continuous  from  the 
time  the  animal  fell  over  until  death  took  place  at  it:45,  just 
two  and  one-half  hours  from  the  time  the  poison  was  adminis¬ 
tered.  The  highest  temperature  reached  was  106 degrees.” 

The  cattle  were  fed,  as  above  described,  in  March.  During 
the  next  few  weeks  a  number  of  ”  sure  ”  remedies  were  recom¬ 
mended.  The  most  common  of  the.se  are  lard,  bacon  grease, 
milk,  and  flour.  The  milk  had  proved  to  hi  worthless  in  the 
first  experiments,  but  to  satisfy  ourseK^es  regarding  the  other 
named  remedies,  and  to  try  some  of  a  more  medicinal  nature, 
another  animal,  early  in  May,  was  fed  .several  of  the  poisonous 
bulbs.  The  bulbs  were  of  the  same  lot  used  in  the  first  experi' 
ments,  but  had  been  growing  for  a  month  in  a  green  house.  It  < 
was  expected  that  growth  would  remove  some  of  the  dangerous 
properties  of  the  bulbs,  but  it  was  a  surprise  to  find  that  an 
animal  eating  many  times  as  much  of  them  as  had  killed  the 
cows  in  the  previous  experiment  suflered  no  ill  effects  whatever. 
The  conclusion  is  obvious;  the  bulbs  are  only  dangeroush^  poison 
when  in  the  dormant  state,  or  for  a  short  time  after  growth  be¬ 
gins  in  the  spring.  Cattle  are  likely,  then,  to  be  poisoned  only 
from  the  first  of  January  to  the  middle  of  May. 

It  is  probable  that  the  simple  remedies,  as  lard,  bacon  grease' 
flour,  and  milk,  so  highh‘  recommended  b}'  stockmen,  in  the 
milder  cases,  are  of  value,  as  they  are  substances  which  would 
tend  to  retard  the  absorption  of  the  poison  in  the  stomach,  and, 
given  in  sufficient  quantities,  would  act  as  a  [)urgative  to  expel 
it  from  the  intestines.  But  it  is  mv  opinon  that  none  of  these 
would  be  of  avail  with  an  animal  that  had  swallowed  even  a 
small  quantity,  a  few  drams,  of  the  bulb  when  the  poi.son  is  most 
virulent.  Further  investigation  may  dev^elop  some  agent  more 
potent  as  a  remedy  but  until  then,  farmers  must  depend  upon 


prevention  —keepi'ii'^  their  cattle  from  pasture  lands  ConfafrrrKg: 
i'icnta. 

Eradication. 

An  effort  should  be  make  to  eradicate  Cicuta  completelv 
ffoiu  all  enclosed  pistures.  Cultivation  will  soon  ex:terminate  it 
from  fields  that  can  be  tilled.  In  other  pasture  lands^  the  plant 
once  recog"nized^  can  be  eradicated  during'  spring  and  summer  by 
going  ov’er  the  field  with  a  sharp  hoe,  spade,  or  shovel^  and  chop¬ 
ping  out  the  roots,  a  thing  easily  done  ;  or,  better  stilly  while- 
the  ground  is  soft  in  the  early  spring,  just  after  the  plants  begin 
to  grow,  they  may  l>e  pulled  out  by  hand  thus  securing  complete 
extirpation.  In  most  j^yastnres  Cicuta  occurs  but  sparingly  and 
to  detect  it  will  require  close  observation.  The  bulbs  can  be 
readily  destroyed  by  exposing  them  to  the  direct  action  of  the 
elements — sun.  frost,  and  wind,  so  that  an  occasional  plowing  is- 
effective  in  getting  rid  of  the  plant. 

Related  Plants  Likely  to  be  Mistaken  for  Cicuta. 

Two  plants  cl o.sely  related  to  Cicuta  are  often  mistaken  for  it. 
and,  since  b’oth  are  more  plentiful  than  the  Cicuta^  cause  those 
upon  who.se  premises  they  grow,  much  uneasiness.  A  careful 
comparison  of  the  description  of  the  plants  here  given  aided  b}" 
the  plate.s,  will  enable  farmers  to  easil}^  distingnfsh  these  m-ore 
common  and  harmless  plants  from  the  Cicuta.  Tire  fir.st  of  these 
t)laiits  is  : — 

WiLO  Celhrv.  iOotanthe  sarutentasa  x^utt.) — ^^Wild  Celery 
is  well  .shown  in  Plate  III.  A  compari.son  of  the  parts  of  the 
plant  in  the  plate  with  those  of  Cicuta  on  Plates  I  and  IT  s-hows 
that  the  leaves  and  leaflets  are  much  smaller^  the  stems  weaker 
and  I'idged,  that  there  are  bracts  or  leaflets,  called  involucres, 
tinder  the  flovvers  ;  and  that  the  root  stocks  or  hdbs,  are  veiy  ntuch 
differcMt,  in  bein^  smaller,  less  etosely  attached  to  the  plant.,  and  of  a 
different  shape,  Tire  plant  is  more  aquatic  inhabit  than  the 
Cicuta:  growing  uearl}'  always  in  water,  often  in  running  water 
Wild  Celery  ts  smaller  than  the  Cicuta.  growing  only  from  2  to  5 
feet  high.  Its  thick,  .aromatic  roots  have  the  .smell  of  Celery, 
instead  of  the  Par.snip  as  has  Cicuta,  and  the  base  of  the  leaf 
.stems  much  re.semble  those  of  small  Celery  .stems.  The  plant 
is  edible  and  is  much  relished  by  the  Indians,  and  i.s  not  unac¬ 
ceptable  to  a  hungry  Wdiite  Man. 


PL(ATI^  IV.  SWI^I^r  CIQI^IyY.  Glycostna  antbigumn  Gray, 


II 


Sweet  Cicely.  {Glycosma  ambiguiwi  Gray.) — Sweet 
Cicely,  the  second  plant  that  farmers  commonly  mistake  for 
Cicnta,  is  shown  in  Plate  IV,  and  a  comparison  of  this  plate 
with  the  preceding  ones  will  make  plain  the  differences.  It  may 
))e  easily  distinguished  from  Cicuta  by  the  root,  its  smaller  size, 
its  smell  of  Cicely  or  Anise  instead  of  Parsnip,  and  the  fact  that 
It  is  common  in  dry  lands  as  well  as  in  marsh  lands.  Sweet 
Cicelv  is  harmless. 

There  are  other  plants  which  as  closeh^  resemble  the  Cicuta  as 
tlie  two  described  above,  but  they  are  not  common  in  pastures  and 
are  not  to  my  knowledge  suspected  of  being  poisonous.  Wild 
Celery  and  Sweet  Cicely  have  been  frequently  brought  to  the 
vStation  as  “  the  plants  that  poison  cattle.” 

Poison  Hemlock.  {Conium  maculatum  Linn)  has  been 
sparingl}^  introduced  in  waste  places  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
older  settlements,  but  it  is  not  dangerous  in  pastures  as  its  herbage 

i 

comes  at  a  time  when  good  pasturage  is  plentiful  and,  moreover,’ 
its  leaves  exhale  a  sickly,  disagreeable  odor  which  repels  all 
animals.  Its  smaller  size,  white  fusiform  root,  foliage  spotted  with 
purple,  and  later  appearance,  easily  distinguish  it  from  Cicuta. 

REVIEW. 

I.  Cicuta,  a  plant  of  the  Parsnip  family,  growing  in  the 
low,  pasture  lands  of  Oregon,  in  late  winter  and  early  spring, 
poisons  catttle. 

2.  The  following  plants,  reported  poisonous,  were  fed  to  cat¬ 
tle  without  ill  effects  :  Larkspur,  Camass,  Sanicle,  degenerated 
cultivated  Parsnip,  and  Cow  Parsnip. 

3.  Common  names  are  inaccurate,  and  the  plant  in  ques  ¬ 
tion  should  be  called  Cicuta,  to  avoid  confusion.  Locally,  Cicuta 
is  often  known  as,  Wild  Parsnip,  Water  Hemlock,  Musquash 
Root,  Cow  Bane,  Water  Parsnip,  Muskrat  Weed,  and  Snake 
Root. 

4.  Cicuta  is  a  tall,  smooth,  coarse,  marsh  perennial  ;  the 
stems  come  from  a  bulb-like,  underground  stem  ;  the  leaves  are 
from  2  to  3  feet  long  and  have  from  4  to  6  pairs  of  lance-shaped, 
coarsely-toothed  leaflets  ;  the  plant  blooms  in  midsummer  and 
bears  an  umbel  of  white  flowers  which  form  small  kidney-shaped. 


12 


ribbed,  aromatic  fruits.  The  i{}ide)]fi?-ouiid  root-stock  is  the  most 
distinctive  part  of  the  pla}it  and  ivitl  aid  most  in  identidication. 

5  Cicuta  is  found  throughout  Oregon,  Washington, 
Northern  California,  and  British  Columbia.  It  is  of  most 
frequent  occurrence  along  banks  of  coast  ri\'ers  and  inlets. 

6.  It  is  estimated  that  about  loo  cattle  are  killed  annually 
ill  Oregon  by  eating  Cicuta.  Human  victims  of  Cicuta  are  not 
infrequent  in  the  United  vStates. 

7.  After  eating  the  Cicuta  roots  death  takes  place,  com¬ 
monly,  in  a  few  hours.  The  symptoms  of  poisoning  are  uneasi¬ 
ness,  twitching  about  nose  and  mouth,  trembling  of  the  flanks, 
watery  eyes,  much  perspiration,  high  temperature,  continued 
urination,  and  finally  violent  spasms  which  end  in  death. 

8.  As  a  remedy,  stockmen  recommend,  lard,  bacon  grease, 
milk,  and  flour  ;  these,  by  absorbing  the  poison,  and  acting  as  a 
purgative  may  be  of  avail  in  mild  cases. 

9.  Cicuta  should  be  eradicated  from  enclosed  pastures  by 
cultivation,  cutting  out,  or  pulling  up. 

10.  Two  common  plants  of  the  same  family,  Wild  Celery 
and  Sweet  Cicely,  are  often  mistaken  for  Cicuta. 


f 


